Other Pac 12 games, discussion thread...

[Liver]

thought since we've got a lot of talk in several threads specifically about the p12, maybe we'd try a separate thread...

i'll start with my thoughts based on what we have seen so far in week 1:

stanford: i am already tired of the cm hype. every time i see the kid, i think "traitor!"-- i know i shouldn't but that's just how it is. they looked pretty good as a team and the strength of the north.

washington: solid. they looked really solid. rutgers isn't good but they have some guys.

oregon: that was davis they were playing and who rang them up on the scoreboard. they are beatable for sure.

oregon state: thanks for dealing the conference a black eye. minnesota isn't good.

washington state: the pirate just lost to a junior, junior league team. he walks the plank sooner rather than later.

cal: davis webb did what they wanted him to do. but, again, they reinforce league stereotypes by letting hawaii score over 30 points. i think they are going to be an uneven team this year.

usc: ahahahahahaha. viscerally, i enjoy the beat-down they just took but that doesn't help our conference rep at all. the sec got generally thumped this weekend and a usc upset could have helped our collective brand. not a good loss, but usc has bodies. they will improve even with the controversies.

ucla: this is just ucla being ucla. it doesn't matter who coaches them and it doesn't matter that they have a heisman hyped player again. they always step on their own dicks when people think they are going to contend. again, they have a lot of athletes and will be dangerous, but they are beatable.

arizona state: america's stripper u had a serviceable game 1 and they are going to contend for the south. but, like the rest of the south, they have gaps.

arizona: great, again, another black eye, losing to a not-good byu team... thanks for the help, mildcats.

utah: ok, i watched a good amount of their game. they look big, fast, and disciplined. as of right now, i'd have to put them as the south favorites as much as that hurts. they don't have the star power of usc and ucla so i think the press is overlooking them a bit. we are going to have to work to beat them, but they are beatable.

a few breaks the right way and we could find ourselves in the conf. champ. game, theoretically. the south appears wide open. i would think stanford comes out of the north, but every p12 team seems to manage to lose a game it shouldn't when it is trying to make a case for the playoffs.

 

[leftybuff]

Wazzu dropped their opener to PSu last year IIRC, I would not read too much into that. The Pirate always leaves port slowly.

AZ looked waek on D, they are beatable.

USC got creamed by the best team in the nation, hard to say what that says about them other than they are some where between #2 and #100.

Washingotn looked good.

UCLA played well on the road at aggie.

I didn't see All Strippers or da yoots, but neither scoreboard was impressive. Ditto the ducklings.

Cal has no defense whatsoever.

OSU, that was a bad Minny team you lost too. About the only bright spot is Ryan Nall, stop him and the beavers can be licked.

Stanford and UW look to be the teams to beat in the Norte.

 

[Buffnik]

You were impressed by Utah's performance? I wasn't. Seemed to me that the Utes lack firepower and it made it hard for them to put away Southern Utah. SUU is a good FCS team, but still a FCS team.

I suspect that Utah is going to be like they normally are. Tough, old school team that finds itself pretty worn down by the time CU plays them in November.

 

[Shldr2Shldr]

Before the season, I felt there were 4 teams that were definite losses on our schedule. Michigan, Oregon, Stanford, and USC. Now I feel like there are two. Michigan and Stanford.

We will have a shot in almost every game we play. For the first time since we have joined the conference it appears that our peers finally have some holes that we can exploit.

 

[Jens1893]

Giving up 28 against UC-Davis would concern me as Oregon.

Utah may just win the South by default. Kinda sucks that we have UW play Stanford and Oregon back to back so early in the season in late September/early October.

 

[Liver]

You were impressed by Utah's performance? I wasn't. Seemed to me that the Utes lack firepower and it made it hard for them to put away Southern Utah. SUU is a good FCS team, but still a FCS team.

I suspect that Utah is going to be like they normally are. Tough, old school team that finds itself pretty worn down by the time CU plays them in November.

that's probably a fair take, but i really did think they looked the part-- we will see how they hold up... to some extent they remind me of k-state-- they can get guys in that the others won't take and they have a nice pipeline into recruiting areas that others don't tap as well.

 

[Jens1893]

Before the season, I felt there were 4 teams that were definite losses on our schedule. Michigan, Oregon, Stanford, and USC. Now I feel like there are two. Michigan and Stanford.

We will have a shot in almost every game we play. For the first time since we have joined the conference it appears that our peers finally have some holes that we can exploit.

+ we're in a position to exploit them due to our team that's heavy on upperclassmen, a defense that should at least give us a chance to stay in most games and an excellent DC in Leavitt.

 

[Duff Man]

I think the preseason hype with Washington was justified. I know Rutgers is not exactly Bama, but Browning is going to be neck and neck with Rosen for All-Pac 12 honors.

Stanford is still Stanford. They always start slow, but generally get better and better by November.

After that, I still think UCLA is the team to beat in the South. Rosen was erratic at times yesterday, but he also had some passes hit guys right in the hands and were dropped. That team is capable of putting up 40 in any given week. I do like getting them at home on a short week though.

USC will sleepwalk to 8 wins mostly on talent, but they are not a true championship contender and are relegated to the large collection of beatable teams in the conference, including the Buffs.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

I think the preseason hype with Washington was justified. I know Rutgers is not exactly Bama, but Browning is going to be neck and neck with Rosen for All-Pac 12 honors.

Stanford is still Stanford. They always start slow, but generally get better and better by November.

After that, I still think UCLA is the team to beat in the South. Rosen was erratic at times yesterday, but he also had some passes hit guys right in the hands and were dropped. That team is capable of putting up 40 in any given week. I do like getting them at home on a short week though.

USC will sleepwalk to 8 wins mostly on talent, but they are not a true championship contender and are relegated to the large collection of beatable teams in the conference, including the Buffs.

Pretty much. Pac is down this year. The conf peaked in 2013 and has slid since then. Time for some CU wins.

 

[Liver]

another question after week 1: based upon what we have seen so far, is anyone confident that the p12 will get a team into the playoff?

 

[Shldr2Shldr]

another question after week 1: based upon what we have seen so far, is anyone confident that the p12 will get a team into the playoff?

On 1 side, Stanford or UW could roll undefeated if they are for real so that helps. On the other, the "prestige" of the conference is going to be way down

 

[Buffnik]

another question after week 1: based upon what we have seen so far, is anyone confident that the p12 will get a team into the playoff?

I am more confident than I was, actually. I figure it will be Washington or Stanford with the potential both could make it if one of them goes 11-1 (losing to the other) if the conference champ is 13-0.

 

[Jens1893]

another question after week 1: based upon what we have seen so far, is anyone confident that the p12 will get a team into the playoff?

Too early to tell, but a weaker conference generally bodes better for the playoff chances. The 2 top teams in UW and Stanford playing each other early in the season should help there, too, gives the loser more time to brush up their resume the rest of the season.

 

[Duff Man]

I would say there is a real question of whether Houston deserves a spot if they go undefeated. That is the looming question that will affect every P5 conference.

 

[Jens1893]

On 1 side, Stanford or UW could roll undefeated if they are for real so that helps. On the other, the "prestige" of the conference is going to be way down

I think for the Pac-12 W/Ls matter more than prestige. I don't think we ever got the credit we deserved back when the conference was better than the SEC.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

I would say there is a real question of whether Houston deserves a spot if they go undefeated. That is the looming question that will affect every P5 conference.

They still have Louisville on the schedule and the look very good. If they roll Louisville, then things get interesting.

 

[Buffnik]

I would say there is a real question of whether Houston deserves a spot if they go undefeated. That is the looming question that will affect every P5 conference.

I was thinking the same. Houston better hope that some AAC teams get into the Top 25 like they did last year. UH needs a stronger than normal conference (Cincinnati, UCF, Tulsa, Navy, Memphis, etc.).

And they really need Louisville to be ranked when they play.

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-16/2016-houston-cougars-football-schedule.php

 

[Buffenuf]

On 1 side, Stanford or UW could roll undefeated if they are for real so that helps. On the other, the "prestige" of the conference is going to be way down

Initially thought UW might do it, but they ain't rollin' anywhere big time with their sked!
They catch Furd at home, but on a short week, followed immediately by a trip to Autzen.
They then play the Utes in SLC....not favorable.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

I was thinking the same. Houston better hope that some AAC teams get into the Top 25 like they did last year. UH needs a stronger than normal conference (Cincinnati, UCF, Tulsa, Navy, Memphis, etc.).

And they really need Louisville to be ranked when they play.

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-16/2016-houston-cougars-football-schedule.php

Tough to get a read on the AAC in week one because so many teams played cupcakes, but Temple losing to Army did the conference no favors.

 

[PAHIBuff]

I'm starting to have the opinion that less angst should be put into these results against FCS teams in Week 1, nationally, in general. It's getting to be quite a while ago that losses/close games against FCS were rare. Sucks to lose any game obviously, but the consistently better FCS programs aren't as far down the ladder talent-wise as they once were.

I don't think the Buffs go bowling without beating at least one of Wazzu or Utah. Wazzu starts slowly but you usually have to beat them in a shootout. Utah is a tough out most times and KW is a good coach. I'll be disappointed if we don't beat Arizona this year; they're small and skinny and their offense is a mess that too often relies on Solomon's improv heroics. It's like kids running around in a park. IMO BYO should have put them away much more easily.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

Just saw a report on Yahoo sports that Steve Sarkisian is going to interview with Alabama.

 

[leftybuff]

Just saw a report on Yahoo sports that Steve Sarkisian is going to interview with Alabama.

they have a bartender position?

 

[J.R. Ewing]

they have a bartender position?

I hope they keep a spot open for Clay Helton.

 

[Deleted member 807]

The weak P12 showing in week 1 is good news for Washington and Stanford fans. First impression is that maybe there is more separation between the elites and the rest of the conference than originally thought.

The B12 looks just as likely to miss the playoffs as the P12. Does anyone think a Baylor team would edge out a PAC12 team with the same record? TCU and Oklahoma aren't who pundits thought they were.

Opening day news is also good for Cal, Colorado, Utah, and ASU, who got to witness what a winning gameplan looks like against some overrated ranked pretenders.

The prospect of Colorado finding the minimum requisite four conference victories and six wins on the season isn't so much of a pipe dream.

OSU, Arizona, and Wazzou might even be underdogs (gasp) against the Buffs.

Steeling just one win from UCLA, ASU, or Utah may punch the post season ticket. Totally doable, right?
Six wins now seems doable. The ceiling seems higher, too.

An upset against Oregon or USC has brick game potential.

Beating Michigan or Stanford would get CU votes for inclusion in the top 25. I'm not holding my breath. But anyone tagging those games with the defeatist 'no-hoper' label have stone hearts and koolaid diabetes.

CU's biggest risk factor, IMO, is the health of Sefo and lack of proven depth behind him at QB. The Buffs D is good, but JL's squad can't carry the whole team to a bowl game without the help of an offense that can put up points. If Sefo goes down to injury, the margin of error to play in the post season becomes very, very narrow.

Can't wait to be one of the few 2-0 teams in the league at this time next week.

 

[aghcsm]

Assume road games will remain a challenge. Historically playing road v home is roughly a 14-point swing. I do think we have a chance in every home game, but no road games can be considered "should wins."

Unless the 2016 version proves to be something totally different and special, which is a possibility. I think the game in Ann Arbor will tell us a lot.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

Washington's schedule now looks very manageable. No UCLA, Stanford and Usc at home, Oregon on the road. They could find themselves in the playoff hunt pretty easily.

 

[lawdogg]

I think the game in Ann Arbor will tell us a lot.

I might actually argue the following game against Oregon tells us a lot more about what the season may have in store. Maybe I'm just believing the hype about Michigan, or putting too much stock into their first game, but they seem to be a real cut above most of the teams the Buffs will play in conference. Oregon seems more in line with the caliber of teams CU will have to beat to have a successful season.

 

[NW Buff]

I think Oregon may have hired a name in Hoke without much substance. The guy jumped from DL coach to HC and really has no track record as a coordinator. I think they will still be good but the defense is still suspect until proven otherwise.

 

[Duff Man]

I think Oregon may have hired a name in Hoke without much substance. The guy jumped from DL coach to HC and really has no track record as a coordinator. I think they will still be good but the defense is still suspect until proven otherwise.

Exactly. Hoke was a big reach. He may end up working out, but why did so many people automatically say that is a good hire?

 

[Bufffan68]

Exactly. Hoke was a big reach. He may end up working out, but why did so many people automatically say that is a good hire?

Who said it was a good hire?